1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag in which a cartridge for including at least a RFID tag provided with a RFID circuit element configured to transmit/receive information with outside is detachably arranged and the cartridge for including at least a RFID tag.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag such as a reader/writer configured to write/read information with respect to a RFID circuit element storing information, many methods have been developed for transmission/reception of information with the RFID circuit element and widely put into practice. Method for transmission/reception of information include a contact method using a connector or the like, an electromagnetic coupling method using a coil, an electromagnetic induction method, an optical method or a contactless method such as electric-wave method.
In the above contactless method, a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system configured to read/write information contactlessly between a small-sized RFID tag and the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag is known as employing the electromagnetic coupling method, the electromagnetic induction method or the electric wave method. The RFID circuit element provided at the RFID tag includes an IC circuit part storing predetermined RFID tag information and an antenna connected to the IC circuit part and configured to transmit/receive information, and even if the RFID tag is stained or arranged in a hidden position, the reader/writer can make an access (reading/writing of information) to RFID tag information of the IC circuit part from the side of the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag, and practical use has already progressed in various fields including product management and inspection process.
The RFID tag as above is usually formed by providing the RFID circuit element on a label-state material, and this RFID label is often affixed onto a target article and the like for classification/organization of various documents/articles, for example. It is also extremely convenient if character information is additionally printed on the tag itself for management of the RFID tag. In response to the need, an apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag (apparatus for producing RFID label) configured not only to read/write information with respect to the RFID tag but to make a print on the tag has been already proposed.
In an apparatus described in JP, A, 2003-140548, for example, from a roll unit provided with a roll (roll paper) around which a base tape (continuous label sheet) having RFID circuit elements (antenna and IC chip) arranged in the tape longitudinal direction at an approximately equal interval is wound, the tag tape is fed out and a predetermined print is made on a predetermined position of the tag tape by a printing means and then, transmission/reception of RFID tag information is carried out with respect to the RFID circuit element provided on the tag tape through an apparatus antenna (communication antenna for RF-ID) so that a tag label with print is produced.
Though not described clearly in JP, A, 2003-140548, in radio communication between an apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag and a RFID circuit element in a RFID system in general, a short wave (13.56 MHz or the like) is used in many cases because of its high communication stability. However, in this case, since a communication distance is small, it is necessary to arrange the apparatus antenna and the RFID circuit element facing close to each other at transmission/reception of information.
At this time, since the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag in the above related art is configured such that the apparatus antenna is provided in the neighborhood of a feeding path after a tag medium is fed out of the tag roll, and the apparatus antenna and the RFID circuit element are arranged close to each other for information transmission/reception, the size of the apparatus should become larger.